Sunday, April 25, 2010

Elsewhere: ReSolute + Blkmarket Present: Oslo Vs. Freude-Am-Tanzen

Both Blkmarket Membership and ReSolute are dominating promotional forces in the New York techno underground. They draw from the same crowds and equally throw some of the most epic parties with some of the most sought-after acts from overseas. Over the following months, Blkmarket will bring Melon, Dixon, Masomenos and Half Hawaii (to name a few) as they celebrate their 4th year and ReSolute were responsible for the DJ Hell gig in March 2009 that many consider to have been a major turning point in New York's underground scene. Their second anniversary party in November, featuring Alexi Delano, was also something to write home - or here, rather - about.

But back in early April there were incidents of both parties getting shut down and rivalries being formed. The straight story never came out, but the more important fact is that no one cares - ReSolute and Blkmarket quickly came out to all of their followers and announced that they are brothers and nothing can change that. In fact, that was the slogan of the Freude-Am-Tanzen vs. Oslo Records showcase that happened this weekend; a joint effort between Taimur + Fahad (Blkmarket) and Nektarios + Nikola (ReSolute).

Utilizing a new space on the Gowanus Canal, not far from the Yard, the massive tent housed a giant, pristine disco ball with LEDs. On top of that, the promoters had supplied everything from an ATM to a barbecue with everything in between. Aside from a 10 minute walk to a bodega on Court St + Nelson, there was nothing else in sight and the atmosphere felt more like a festival than a lengthy party.

On the lineup was Monkey Maffia (Soren) of the Wighnomy Brothers, making his first appearance in New York since the WBs decided to call it quits as a touring duo. On the Oslo (from Berlin, not Norway, funny enough) side was owner Frederico Molinari and Vera. VERA! I cannot stress enough, in a number of ways, how incredible this woman is.

(a) She is the type of producer that you may not know off-hand, but if you check out her work you will instantly recognize multiple tracks from some of your favorite DJ mixes. Vera is definitely a DJ's DJ.

(b) Her set was perfectly mapped out, taking us on a proper journey to where many of us couldn't believe it was still her behind the decks - her styles were so diverse.

(c) Vera is lovely. I spoke with her briefly afterwards and I have no doubt that she belongs right up top with Ellen Allien, Anja Schneider and Cassy as one of the most deserving female DJs in electronic music. Personality goes a long way, and Vera radiates it like the fucking sun.

Monkey Maffia was pretty incredible as well. He's a truly talented DJ and there's a heaping amount of insight into both Brothers in Speaking in Code - a documentary that comes from Basstown founder David Day and Amy Grill. I've always said the best DJ sets are majoritively defined by the inability to tell when one song truly ends and another begins, and Soren is right up there with world-famous DJs that are known to rock any party. I didn't recognize a single track he played until Dennis Ferrer's "Hey Hey" - a version he stretched out for at least 15 glorious minutes. Someone next to me took a video, and I will harass him into getting that on YouTube soon...

All in all, it was an incredible party. Perhaps not as epic as some of the other Blkmarket/ReSolute parties in the past, but ultimately a great place to be for many hours on end. My friend and I clocked in around 9 and both slept like rock babies, highly satisfied.

Citizens Of Basstown.

Basstown was started in 2006 when the growth of techno and dance parties around the country became unavoidable, and the virus was hitting the New England city best known for being a college rock town. With the rise of great parties like Hearthrob and Thunderdome, a community of DJs, dancers, party kids, and everyone in between started turning venue tiles into dance floors all across Boston and Cambridge.

The dream of Basstown is happening NOW.

Gone are times of wishing there was more than one or two decent dance parties or events to hear more cerebral techno (you've been to Make It New, ya?). The city of Basstown is exploding alongside its local colleagues. Stand back and watch it burst.

Extended, more verbose but mildly interesting, Basstown bio can be found on MySpace. [read more...]